China — Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea
China received 60 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea between 2024-Q1 and 2026-Q4. Volume peaked at 13 in 2024-Q4, with the trend rising sharply year-on-year. The most-cited issues are dinotefuran, lambda-cyhalothrin, and tolfenpyrad. The list below gives the 20 most recent rejections by date and RASFF reference, with the country that notified it and the hazard found; 16 carry the laboratory result and 18 say what happened to the consignment.
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Key figures
If you import cocoa and cocoa preparations, coffee and tea from China
- Chance a consignment is opened at the EU border
- 20% of consignments get identity and physical checks for pesticide residues (Reg. (EU) 2019/1793).
- If it is rejected
- Destroyed 27%; re-dispatched or destroyed 26%; held, final fate not recorded 24%; re-dispatched 21%; not stated 2%. A re-dispatched lot can be sold elsewhere, a treated or sorted one can be released once it complies, and a destroyed one is lost.
- Where rejections happen
- France (14), Poland (7), Latvia (6), of 62 border rejections in the last 3 years.
- Riskiest months
- October, March, July, by rejections since 2020.
- Test for before shipping
- dinotefuran (20), tolfenpyrad (20), lambda-cyhalothrin (18), chlorpyrifos (11), acetamiprid (8).
The EU does not publish how many consignments are shipped, so no page can state a true probability of rejection; these are the figures that are published.
Quarterly rejections, last 12 quarters
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2024-Q1 | 2 |
| 2024-Q2 | 2 |
| 2024-Q3 | 7 |
| 2024-Q4 | 13 |
| 2025-Q1 | 2 |
| 2025-Q2 | 2 |
| 2025-Q3 | 3 |
| 2025-Q4 | 2 |
| 2026-Q1 | 11 |
| 2026-Q2 | 10 |
| 2026-Q3 | 4 |
| 2026-Q4 | 2 |
Recent rejections
- 2026.9348 Absence of Official Controls and CHED-D at the Border Control Post of First Entry for Teas of Chinese Origin. Notified by Latvia. Destroyed.
- 2026.9014 Prohibited tolfenpyrad and exceed maximum levels of pesticides residues: lambda-cyhalothrin 0,091 ± 0,046 mg/kg, thiamethoxam 0,18 ± 0,09 mg/kg; Notified by Latvia. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 0,23 ± 0,12 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). lambda-cyhalothrinthiamethoxamtolfenpyrad
- 2026.8283 Shipment of green tea from Serbia without accompanying documentation Notified by Croatia. Re-dispatched.
- 2026.7881 Unauthorised substance chlorpyrifos and residues of lambda-cyhalothrin in tea from China Notified by Germany. Destroyed. Result 0,025+/-0,013 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). chlorpyrifoslambda-cyhalothrin
- 2026.7783 Pesticide residues in matcha powder from China Notified by Austria. Reached the market, destroyed. Result 0,062 ± 0,031 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). dinotefuranthiacloprid
- 2026.6208 Pesticides residues in Matcha tea powder from China Notified by Slovenia. Destroyed. Result 0,21 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). Imidaclopridelambda-cyhalothrin
- 2026.5506 No pre-notification in TRACES (CHED PART I) for Matcha Powder from China Notified by Slovenia. Re-dispatched.
- 2026.5450 Tolfenpyrad, Tolfenpyrad and Dinotefuran in Black tea and Oolong tea from China Notified by Bulgaria. Reached the market, re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 0,11 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). dinotefurantolfenpyrad
- 2026.5260 lambda-cyhalothrin, tolfenpyrad, dinotefuran, thiamethoxam in Matcha powder from China Notified by Bulgaria. Re-dispatched. Result 0.11 (limit 0.01 mg/kg - ppm). dinotefuranlambda-cyhalothrinthiamethoxamtolfenpyrad
- 2026.4827 Lambda-Cyhalothrin, tolfenpyrad, dinotefurana, flonicamid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam in matcha tea from China Notified by Slovenia. Reached the market, destroyed. Result 0.03 (limit 0.01 mg/kg - ppm). clothianidindinotefuranflonicamidlambda-cyhalothrin+2 more
- 2026.4007 Pesticide residues in tea from China Notified by Germany. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 0,37+/-0,19 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). acetamipriddifenoconazoledinotefuranflonicamid+1 more
- 2026.3653 Propamocarb in tea from China Notified by France. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 0.14±0.070 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). propamocarb
- 2026.3417 Lambda-cyhalothrin and dinotefuran in Matcha Tea from China Notified by Germany. Destroyed. Result 0,042 +/-0,021 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). dinotefuranlambda-cyhalothrin
- 2026.3393 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in green tea from Serbia Notified by Croatia. Destroyed. Result 399,4 (limit 200 µg/kg - ppb). pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- 2026.3234 residues of pesticides in Chinese green tea Notified by Netherlands. Result 0.035 (limit 0.01 mg/kg - ppm). acetamipridchlorpyrifosdinotefuranlambda-cyhalothrin+1 more
- 2026.3215 Unauthorised substance thiamethoxam in green tea from China Notified by Poland. Re-dispatched. thiamethoxam
- 2026.2490 Multiple pesticide residues in tea from China Notified by France. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 0.048±0.024 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). diafenthiurondinotefuranlambda-cyhalothrintolfenpyrad
- 2026.2323 Dinitrofuran and Tolfenpyrad in green tea from China Notified by Norway. Destroyed. Result 0,11 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). dinotefurantolfenpyrad
- 2026.1864 Tolfenpyrad en hojas de té procedentes de China //Tolfenpyrad en hojas de te procedentes de China Notified by Spain. Result >0.026 ± 0.013 (limit 0.010 mg/kg - ppm). dinotefuran
- 2026.1703 Phtalimid in tea from China Notified by France. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result 0.18 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). folpet
Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications
Besides border rejections, 36 notifications since 2020 concerned cocoa and cocoa preparations, coffee and tea from China found after entering the EU — 11 alerts, 25 information notifications. They are not part of the rejection figures or rates above, which measure border controls.
How they were found: official control on the market 61%, company's own check 17%, consumer complaint or illness 11%, at the EU border 8%, monitoring or surveillance sample 3%. 13 led to a recall from consumers.
Show the numbers
| Year | Total | Alerts | Information notifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 2025 | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| 2026 to date | 8 | 2 | 6 |
- 2026.8995 alertExcessive levels of genotoxic and reproductive-toxic pesticides in a tea-like product from China, via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 0,43. acetamipridcarbendazimchlorantraniliprolechlorfenapyr+21 more
- 2026.8068 info: follow-upPesticide residues in dried chrysanthemums from China via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 1,3. chlorantraniliprolechlorfenapyrdinotefuranlambda-cyhalothrin+4 more
- 2026.6241 info: attentionPerchlorate in green tea from China Notified by Poland. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 1,213+/-0,182 (limit 0,75 mg/kg - ppm). perchlorate
- 2026.5922 info: follow-upAluminum in green tea powder (matcha) from China, via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 1896 ± 455. aluminium
- 2026.4887 alertAnthraquinone in tea Notified by France. Company's own check. Result 0,022 ± 0,011 (limit 0,02 mg/kg - ppm). anthraquinone
- 2026.4510 info: attentionThiamethoxam in green tea from China, via the Netherlands Notified by Germany. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 0,23 ± 0,12 (limit 0,05 mg/kg - ppm). thiamethoxam
- 2026.3123 info: attentionPieces of Glass in Ginseng and Mulberry Herbal Tea from China Notified by Ireland. Consumer complaint or illness, reached the market.
- 2026.2658 info: follow-upUnauthorised pesticides in matcha powder from China, via Germany Notified by Austria. Official control on the market, reached the market. Result 0,022 ± 0,011 (limit 0,01 mg/kg - ppm). anthraquinonelambda-cyhalothrinthifluzamide
- 2025.8573 info: follow-upnieautoryzowana nowa żywność Clitoria ternatea w herbatach sprzedawanych przez Internet/// Unauthorized novel food Clitoria ternatea in teas sold online Notified by Poland. Official control on the market, reached the market.
- 2025.8255 alertSeveral pesticide exceedence found in dried jasmine from China Notified by Denmark. Official control on the market, reached the market, destroyed. Result 0,39 +/- 0,19 (limit 0,1 mg/kg - ppm). acetamipridbifenthrinchlorfenapyrchlorpyrifos+12 more
Data and downloads
Download all 146 entries (CSV) — every notification behind this page, border rejections and those found on the market, with how each was found and what was done.
The file holds entries up to 2026-10-21. To get new ones for China by email, watch China.
China country report since 2020 — all notification types, not just border rejections →